Unexpected stand

So the GRTU are now protesting to the government over the mv Doulos visit, arguing that the requested sale of books would seriously affect the market.

I sincerely hope I am not the only person living on the island who felt surprised at the stand taken by the GRTU. Were the GRTU not telling their members not more than a few months ago that EU membership and a free market were nothing to fear?

Now that the EU issue is closed once and for all, the GRTU feels free to get back to its old role, that of opposing anything it deems as a threat to a small sector of the local market. Now it has set the mv Doulos in its sights. Are booksellers the only people in Malta who need fear competition, according to the GRTU?

Why is the GRTU so worried about a charitable organisation selling books in Malta, and yet is unfazed by the prospect of a large number of foreign-owned businesses setting up shop in Malta? Are these a smaller threat than the Doulos and the book market?